It's not often that a head coach leaves a college football program right after winning a national championship.
That is the case this year with Michigan.
When Jim Harbaugh was brought in by the Wolverines in 2015, it was with the hope that the former quarterback could help the program get over the hump and reach the pinnacle of NCAA football. It took a bit, but he did just that in 2023, as Michigan defeated Washington in the national championship to bring a title back to Ann Arbor for the first time in the College Football Playoffs era.
However, it won't be Harbaugh leading the maize and blue on the sidelines this season. The 60-year-old became just the fifth head coach in NCAA football history to leave the program after winning a national championship, making the jump to the NFL for the second time.
Michigan may not have the same aura without Harbaugh at the helm, but it's still tabbed to be one of the best teams in the Big Ten. Plus, with the expanded playoff format, the Wolverines have a chance at defending their status as national champions.
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So who is running the Wolverines program? Here is what to know about Michigan's new head coach for the 2024 season.
Who is Sherrone Moore?
Sherrone Moore is the new head coach at Michigan. He has been with the Wolverines football program since 2018, and most recently was the offensive coordinator during the 2023 campaign.
A former offensive guard at Oklahoma, the 38-year-old got into coaching right after retiring from playing. He was hired as a grad assistant at Louisville in 2009, working under Steve Kragthorpe in the role for two seasons before he was promoted to the Cardinals' tight ends coach.
He left Louisville in 2014 for Central Michigan, spending two years as the Chippewas' tight ends coach before he also took on the positions of assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator. Moore was at Central Michigan for four seasons before he was brought in by Harbaugh as Michigan's new tight ends coach in 2018.
Moore eventually was promoted to co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, and then earned the sole status as OC in 2023. He was tabbed as Harbaugh's replacement this offseason, giving Moore his first gig as a college head coach.
MORE: Where Michigan ranks in Big Ten for 2024 season without Jim Harbaugh
This is not the first time that Moore will be the head coach on the Michigan sidelines. When Harbaugh was suspended to start last season, it was Moore that was acting head coach for two games to open the 2023 season.
Why did Jim Harbaugh leave Michigan?
Harbaugh left his position as head coach of the Wolverines to make his second jump to the NFL, as the Chargers hired him to take over as head coach in Los Angeles.
He previously coached the 49ers from 2011 to 2014, reaching Super Bowl XLVII where he lost to his brother, John Harbaugh, and the Ravens.
A jump to the NFL again was expected of Harbaugh. Before the Chargers brought him on, he interviewed for multiple open positions in years prior, including with the Panthers and the Bears.
It also did not come as a surprise considering an investigation into Harbaugh and the Wolverines. Harbaugh was accused of recruiting violations in 2020, and the NCAA came down this summer with the news that Harbaugh would be suspended for one season if he returned to the NCAA. He also was handed four-year, show-cause order for "impermissible contact with recruits and players."
